1. Technical Field
The present invention is related generally to the field of diagnostic techniques for predicting cancer metastasis. More particularly, the present invention is related to providing a recombinant cDNA clone encoding NM23 gene whose expression is correlated with the metastatic potential of cancerous tumor cells.
2. State of the Art
Metastasis, the migration of tumor cells from the primary mass to other parts of the body, resulting in colonization of distant sites, remains a primary cause of death for patients with solid tumors. During the surgical/pathological intervention or diagnosis of neoplasia, tumor tissue samples are typically obtained or removed by biopsy. There is no genetic method, similar to the diagnostic kit of the present invention, presently available to predict the ability of cells from the tumor to metastasize.